S. Korea's FM, U.S. Secretary of State reaffirm cooperation on N. Korea's nukes and missiles

한미 외교장관 통화…"北 핵•미사일 대응 공조 지속" 재확인 The top diplomats of Seoul and Washington reaffirmed cooperation in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The talks come as U.S. defense officials expressed concerns Pyongyang will be able to field a nuclear-tipped ICBM soon. Connie Kim shares with us what was discussed. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have exchanged views on a new UN Security Council resolution in response to North Korea's recent ballistic missile launch. Speaking on the phone for around half-an-hour on Thursday evening, they agreed on ways to prevent further North Korean provocations... and pressure the regime to abandon its nuclear weapons. "The leaders agreed to continue our close coordination in response to North Korea's destabilizing violations of UN Security Council resolutions and hold North Korea accountable for its unlawful actions." Kang and Tillerson also assessed the current security situation on the Korean Peninsula... and followed-up on the results of last month's summit between Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump. Close cooperation between the allies is as important as ever,... especially considering that the Pentagon's Defense Intelligence Agency said this week that North Korea would be able to field a nuclear-capable ICBM next year. Responding to that report,… a senior U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said the North is at a point of attaining a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile "pretty soon." This is in line with U.S. Army chief Mark Milley's remarks that North Korea's ICBM threat is advancing faster than most people thought possible. "North Korea has advanced significantly quicker than many of the expected. Their intercontinental ballistic missile capability could possibly strike the United States. More to follow but the time has shortened significantly." While there are also analysts who do not hold the same assessment as the Pentagon,... it's hard to argue that North Korea isn't making big strides forward in its missile development. CIA has already labeled Pyongyang as a massive liability risk and said its mission center on North Korea is reviewing various options on the regime... when diplomacy does not work any longer. Connie Kim, Arirang News. Visit ‘Arirang News’ Official Pages Facebook(NEWS):   / newsarirang   Homepage: http://www.arirang.com Facebook:   / arirangtv   Twitter:   / arirangworld   Instagram:   / arirangworld